Max Winter – Mourning Routine (2025)
London-based instrumentalist Max Winter treats you to a plethora of sounds and moods on his brand new EP titled Mourning Routine. He is also known for being one third of collaborative outfit thredd, whose album It’s Lovely Come On In was released to critical acclaim. Winter is trained in classical and jazz music and has had works commissioned for the London Film Festival.
The beauty in this EP is that it dissolves the boundaries between electronic and acoustic sound. Winter blends classical composition with alt-pop textures and layered electronics. The instrumental opener, ‘Sorry’, opens with uplifting strings and delicious synths. It then begins to grow with industrial, tin-sounding drums coming in, which add a bit of bite. There are a lot of different sounds all complementing each other. It is a very accomplished piece with lots of distorted snippets. He throws the kitchen sink at this one.
‘Buttercup’ is the second single and Winter’s personal favourite song on this release. In his own words:
“‘Buttercup’ actually began as part of ‘Sorry’, the guitar originally closed that track. Someone suggested I separate it and develop it into its own song, and that’s how it was born. I wanted to create something in the spirit of Simon & Garfunkel, but slightly skewed. Leaning into my love of composition, I layered warped timpanis and sweeping strings.”
The track itself possesses a lovely cascading acoustic guitar and nice key changes. Winter demonstrates his soothing vocal style. The keyboards Winter uses are in the style of the sirens that the emergency services make. The track builds with more and more instrumental layers and explodes into a full orchestral piece. Winter loves his tracks to build and finish with a climax that involves an array of carefully chosen instruments, which all have their place.
There is even a school choir on the next track, ‘Fresh Air’, which is quite a melancholic track. When Winter sings in this style, it sounds like something from the debut Coldplay album Parachutes. The lyrics are quite basic: “Do you know/ Do you know/ Careless fun/ And chewing gum”. However, there is a beauty in their simplicity that is a fine complement to this ambient piece. The song reaches a beautiful conclusion with the school choir’s vocals: “A little fresh air will do you good”. It’s made even more spectacular when Winter joins in and harmonises. There is fine use of reverb and distortion towards the end with more gorgeous strings.
‘The Olympics’ was the first song to be released from the Mourning Routine. It is a really nice tune; it could’ve easily been an indie song made by Richard Ashcroft. There’s quite a lot to it, it’s pretty and orchestral but retains a dark element with its grungy style guitars.
There are more captivating strings on the EP’s closer, ‘Hold Me Close’. This has lovely classic strings and acoustic guitars layered over electronic drums and a hip-hop style beat. It is an atmospheric piece with a great rhythm to it. It’s a bit similar to something Talking Heads or David Byrne would have done. It tails off halfway through, where there is a melting pot of everyday sounds which even including someone’s laughter.
Mourning Routine is a beautiful ambient EP, full of experimental and unusual sounds. Winter obviously pulls influences from a variety of places. I am excited for the next full-length release from this talented musician.
